Light control strip for cinematographic printing machines



Dec. 22, 1936. A 1 v. c. DEBR IE 2,065,057

LIGHT CONTROL STRIP FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 28, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 22, 1936. A v c DEER"; 2,065,057

LIGHT CONTROL STRIP FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIG PRINTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 28, 1935' S'Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 22, 1936. A. L. v. c. DEBRIE 5,

LIGHT CONTROL STRIP FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINES Patented Dec. 22, 1936 7 LIGHT CONTROL STRIP FOR CINEMA'LIYO- GRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINES Andr Iion Victor Clement Debi-1e, Paris, France Application February 28, 1935, Serial No. 8,736 In France March 6, 193 4 4 Claims. (01. 88-24).

My invention has for its object a release or control strip of the type used in cinematographic printing machines for providing the desired changes in intensity of the printing light. Such 5 strips unwind at a speed proportional to the speed of unwinding of the positive and negative films and show notches which produce the desired changes of light at the required moments.

through insertion of resistances in the illuminatl2--69 required by the opacity of the negative for the corresponding scenes. These notches are shown in thin lines on the figure and point A gives out the point of the strip where the contact for the first change of illumination is produced. It is apparent that when the negative and the strip move in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, the proper illumination will be provided by the contacts obtained through the l0 ing circuit or otherwise. notches I2-|6'-|9' corresponding to the begin- According to myinvention, means are provided ning of the scenes l2--6-9 to which they are inter alia whereby the unwinding both of the shown on Fig. 1 as connected through dotted films and of the control strip may be performed lines. in either direction without modifying the correct But if 1 cause the negative and the control correspondence between the scenes and the instripto progress in the opposite direction to that 15 tensities of the printing light; furthermore the given by the arrow, the illumination provided by contact closed by the passage of a notch is held the successive notches is, for each scene of the closed until the passage of the next notch. negative, say s e I! for a e, he llu ina- I have shown by way of example in accomtion, IS in the case considered which is normally go panying drawings a form of execution of my into cooperate with the adjacent scene preceding vention. the scene considered during the movement which Fig. 1 discloses the corresponding subdivision is being effected- Similarly the Contact Will of the negative film into scenes and of the conp v e an illumination 9 r he S e e '6 as trol strip into sections providing different printappa ent m t e pa h of the ot ed ines v- 5 ing light values. ing out the correspondence between the contacts Fig. 2 shows how the subdivision of the conand the beginning of the scenes on the negative. trol strip is modified in accordance with my in- In order to restore the desired concordance and vention so as to allow a correct control of changes provide reversibility for the control strip, I reof illumination when the negative film and the peat the notches Pairs of notches) at 3 control strip advance in a direction opposite to I2"'-9" as shown in thick lines at the end that adopted in the case of Fig. 1. of each scene so that for a reversed progress Fig 3 illustrates the arrangement providing such as that considered in Fig. 2, these further the compensation required, at every change in notchescorrespond to the beginning of their the direction of progress, in the synchronisrn bescene and ensure the correct illumination detween the films 'and the control strip. sired therefor. This illumination, produced by 35 Figs. 4 and 5 show two different positions ascontact l2" for instance in the case of reversed sumed by the control systems submitted to the p o re s a ed until Co a becomes action of the control strip. operative. But'as this contact provides the same Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a shutter system illumination, 10 change Perceived u t l 6" 40 which may be used in combination with my imbecomes operative and produces Illuminations 40 P ed c trol Strip together with a perspective 16. A similar sequence is observed for the direct view illustrating the cooperation between the p o (that ShOWn in control strip and the double illumination con- As shown the second series of notches except trolling lever system, a section of which is shown notch 9" corresponding to the beginning of the in Figs. 4 and 5. first scene for reversed progress of the films are 45 The negative film 60 (Figs. 1 and 2) is divided of necessity shifted with reference to their cor into a certain number of scenes designated by rect positioning by reason of the presence of the the reference number such as l269 of the notches controllingthe illumination of the adjalight required for its printing. The contact strip cent scene for the direction of direct progress 6| the length of which is reduced with refershown in Fig. 1. This shifting shows no draw- 50 ence to that of the negative by reason of the reback provided the following contrivance is made duced speed applied to it, is also divided into secuse of. tions corresponding to the scenes on the negative The sprocket drum 62 engaging with the conand provided each at their beginning with trol strip 6 l has on its hub an angular recess 63 notches I2-I6'-9' providing the illuminations in which is housed a spigot 64 carried by the 55 shaft 65 of the drum 62, which provides a predetermined play in the driving connection between said shaft and drum. On the other hand, the frictional drive 66 winds the strip with a traction greater than the resistance provided by the friction feed coil 61 (and reversely for the opposed direction of unwinding as the friction system is double) and consequently each time the direction of progress is reversed, the frictional drive causes the drum 62 to rotate through a complementary angle corresponding to a relative displacement of the spigot 64 inside the recess 63 from side to side thereof whereby compensation is afiorded for the shifting in the change of illumination produced by the shifting of notches l2"l6" corresponding to the reversed direction of unwinding. When direct progress is resumed the drum 62 is obviously caused to rotate backwards through the same angle with reference to its shaft so that the spigot 64 may abut against the active face of the recess 63 in the drum 62; the shaft 65, drum 62 and control strip 6| will then resume sychronous motion.

Fig. 4 shows diagrammatically the control mechanism of the change of illumination when the contact provided is broken and Fig. 5 shows the same mechanism with the contact provided by the strip kept closed in spite of continued progress of the notches strip.

Perspective Fig. 6 taken in combination with Figs. 4 and 5 shows the drum 62 driving the control strip 6l and two series of release levers ill each mounted on a pivot H and provided with a tooth 12 adapted to engage the corresponding notch of the strip under the action of the return spring 13. The teeth 12 of the levers of the two series overlie points of the synchronizing drum 62 which are on a common generating line. A hook 14 adapted to rock round its pivot 16 under the action of the corresponding lever 10 ensures the closing of the corresponding contact 15 producing the change of illumination. A movable yielding stop 11 provided for each hook 14 keeps the latter in the position of contact shown in Fig. 1 until the following change of illumination brings the hook 14 back into its inoperative position shown in Fig. 4, this position of contact being retained in spite of the lever Hi having passed out of the notch as shown in dotted lines in Fig 5.

The arrangement described is repeated for each lever controlling a change of illumination; the movable stops ll of the different levers are carried by a common rod 18. Thus each time one or several levers fall into the notch or notches passing underneath their teeth, the pins 14' carried by the corresponding hook or hooks move out of their lower position with reference to the yielding stop as shown in Fig. 4 and snap into their higher position as shown in Fig. 5. This movement causes a slight rocking of the system of stops Tl so that the pin or pins, held in their upper position on one or more stops since the last operation of one or more levers, are thrown off said stop or stops before the pin or pins con sidered have come definitely into their upper position of rest on their stop or stops. Thus only these just actuated pin or pins remain in their upper operative position as soon as they have eached it, even when the corresponding lever or levers have disengaged their notch.

Fig. 6 shows the illumination changing means which may advantageously cooperate with the control strip described. It comprises two arcuate shutters 424l independent from one another and arranged at a small distance from the object glasses 3l3l'. Each shutter is provided with slots respectively 44-45 which allow the passage for more or less light according as to whether they are more or less in register. shutters are adapted to move independently round the source of light 26. The shutter 43 is connected at 46 with a lever 41 and the shutter 44 is connected at 48 with a lever 49; the levers 41 and 49 are rotatably mounted on a common pivot 5|. Each lever has an oblique slot 52, 53 forming a cam, the slopes of the slots being opposed. These two slots are simultaneously engaged by a projection carried at the end of a bell crank 54 provided with a counterweight 65, the other end of which carries an arcuate lever 5l-5'|' adapted to move in the coils 5659. Each coil is divided into say five fractions independently fed with current.

Moreover the arcuate lever 51-51 forms two magnetic cores insulated one with reference to the other. The coils are set with reference to the cores in a manner such that one fraction of coil 69 lies in front of the magnetic center of the core 51, the corresponding fraction of the coil 66 being shifted through half its width with reference to the magnetic center of the core 51'.

Consequently when current is sent alternatively into one fraction of one coil and into the corresponding fraction of the other coil, the core moves each time through half the width of a fraction and it is thus possible to obtain ten different positions for the bell crank 64 and thereby ten different relative positions of the shutter 42-43.

The feed currents of the coils is sent through the battery B and the contacts 15 selectively controlled by the control strip as described hereinabove.

What I claim:

1. A device for control of illumination in film printing comprising a strip" divided into sections corresponding to the successive film scenes to be printed and provided at the beginning and end of each section with notches, the distance of the notches from the edges of the strip being the same for the notches of the same section, frictional driving means for said strip, a drum positively engaging the strip and provided with an outwardly flaring angular recess at its inner pe riphery, a shaft adapted to rotate in either direction at a speed proportional to and smaller than that of the negative being printed and carrying said drum, a projection integral with said shaft housed in the recess of the drum and adapted to engage either side of said recess and a lever system adapted to engage the successive notches and to selectively control the printing illumination according to the n'otch engaged.

2. A device for control of illumination in film printing comprising a strip divided into sections corresponding to the successive film scenes to be printed and provided at the beginning and end of each section with notches, the distance of the notches from the edges of the strip being the same for the notches of the same section, means including a drum adapted to drive the strip in either direction at a speed proportional to that of the printing process, a plurality of levers overying the points of passage of the strip notches over a line corresponding with a generating line of the drum, pivots for the levers adaptedto allow momentary engagement of the latter with the notches passing underneath them, a rocking part controlled by each lever, illumination controlling circuits adapted to be controlled by said rocking parts and means for retaining the rocking parts in their operative position during the interval separating the passage of two' Successive notches.

3. A device for control oi, illumination in him printing comprising a strip divided into sections corresponding to the successive film scenes to be printed and provided at the beginning and end of each section with notches, the distance of the notches from the edges of the strip being the same for the notches of the same section, means including a drum adapted to drive the strip in either direction at a speed proportional to that of the printing process, a plurality of levers overlying the points of passage of the strip notches over a line corresponding with a generating line of the drum, pivots for the levers adapted to allow momentary engagement of the latter. with the notches passing underneath them, a rocking part controlled by each lever, illumina- 3 tion controlling circuits adapted to be controlled by said rocking parts and a yielding stop system on which the rocking parts are adapted to be rocked into operative position under the action of the levers, said rocking parts being adapted to fall oi! said stop system as soon as the next rocking parts begin engaging said system.

4. A device for control of illumination in film printing machines comprising a comparatively short strip divided into sections corresponding to the successive iilm scenes to be printed and provided both at the beginningand end oi each section with notches, the distance of the notches from the edges of the strip being the same for the notches of the same section, means adapted -to drive the strip in either direction at a speed proportional to and smaller than that of the negative in the printing process and a lever system adapted to engage the successive notches and to successively and automatically control the printing illumination corresponding to the notch engaged.

ANDRE LEON vrc'ron CLEMENT DEBBIE. 

